Over, Cambridgeshire
| Over | |
|---|---|
 Over
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| Over shown within Cambridgeshire | |
| Population | 2,862 (2011) |
| OS grid reference | TL375703 |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | CAMBRIDGE |
| Postcode district | CB24 5 |
| Dialling code | 01954 |
| EU Parliament | East of England |
| Website | http://www.overvillage.co.uk/ |
Over is a large village near the River Great Ouse in the English county of Cambridgeshire, just east of the Prime Meridian.
The parish covers an area of approximately 2,535 acres (1,026 ha). It is ten miles (16 km) east of the town of Huntingdon and is also ten miles (16 km) northwest from the city of Cambridge.
Over contains the basic village facilities, including a primary school, shop, one public house (the Admiral Vernon) and St. Mary's Church. In recent years, the village has expanded rapidly, with the inclusion of several housing estates, a community and conference centre and modern sporting facilities. An Over day centre was set up in 1989 by Dr. Pamela Cressey. The Over Community Centre was set up with National Lottery funding of almost £1 million in 1999.
Some archaeologists believe that the ridge of slightly higher land upon which the village stands was the furthest intrusion inland of the sea — unlike the villages in the fens, which were often surrounded by watery land after the sea receded. Over was an edge-of-fen settlement.
Some say its name derives from the fact that to get to it travellers had to go over the fens to reach it, while others believe it may come from an old English word meaning "on the banks of the river".
By 1628 the fens and meres to the north of the settlement were enclosed, as was the rest of the village land by 1837.
Originally, there were two distinct settlements. One was around St Mary's Parish Church, the other at Over End – the south eastern part of today's High Street running towards the village green.
When it comes to buildings, Over is a village full of contrast both in terms of age and designs. Although the exact date is unknown, a row of old thatched cottages on the north side of the High Street were burned to the ground during a fire started by an arsonist. These were replaced by the large Victorian houses which feature balconies to the front.
Much of the antiquated property in the village is Victorian, as the majority of the older clunch and wattle cottages have been demolished.
The influence of the Dutch who, under the leadership of the engineer Vermuyden, came to drain the Fens, can be seen in several of Over's older houses – The Old Black Horse in the High Street and the Ivy House in Fen End are the most obvious, with their rounded end-walls and angled brick-ties.
The town hall, in the High Street opposite Overcote Road, has the date MDCCCXLIX (1849) carved over the door and some marks made to show where flood waters reached in past years.
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Wikipedia